Efficient, Cost-Effective Method for In-Pile Thermal Remediation of Organic Contaminants

TerraTherm (USA), specialist providers of in situ environmental remediation services and technologies have recently announced they have patented an innovative, in-box, in-pile Thermal Desorption (IPTD) Technology. The in-box process uses field-proven thermal conduction heating (TCH) to provide remediation from a wide range of organic contaminants, while at the same time improving the material handling process through vehicle drive-in-and-out capability. TerraTherm's patented IPTD® process is cost-effective and provides major productivity improvements for both on-site and off-site remediation of waste. In many cases, it can eliminate the need for off-site disposal of contaminated soils and sediments. The in-pile process can destroy 95% or more of the contaminant mass by oxidation and/or pyrolysis and features an Air Quality Control system that ensures that emissions remain far below treatment standards.

"We have long been aware that the marketplace has a growing need for more efficient and cost-effective ways to treat soils and sediments in-pile, and TerraTherm is very pleased to provide an effective solution," says Ralph Baker, Chairman and Chief Scientist at TerraTherm, and lead inventor of the process. "This patented technology enables on-site treatment options that can eliminate the cost and community impacts of transporting the contaminated materials to a treatment facility. Operators of regional treatment centers also get major return on investment from improved material handling and other efficiencies. In both cases, the capability to treat small or large quantities of material in enclosures that permit easy loading and unloading through drive-in-out access will provide substantial benefits."

TerraTherm's In-Box IPTD process is expected to be of great interest to both fixed off-site disposal facility operators and remediation project designers and managers worldwide. Particular interest in this technology has been expressed in North America, Europe and Japan for treatment of Dioxin- and PCB- contaminated soils and sediments. The process can also be configured as a transportable system capable of treating small to moderate volumes of waste that are expensive to dispose of (e.g., soil contaminated by transformer oil spills, drums or supersacks of dioxin-contaminated soil), and do so by means of a quick modular on-site set up and treatment.